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Michael John O'Rourke
Dec. 13, 1949-March 23, 2026
Pleasanton, California
From Donn Hile
April 4, 2026

“Oh, Michael, Michael, Michael” (a special little phrase we shared) Mike and I spent many days over the years instructing SCUBA diving under the guidance of our sensei, Hank Kettles—truly another great man. We logged countless hours together in the Foothill College pool, and in open water finals in Monterey Bay. Over time, we handpicked students—the very best—to join us on unforgettable 10-day international dive trips to places like Tahiti and Martinique. Whenever international dive instructors realized we were NAUI instructors, they would often arrange one of their “special dives”—reserved for instructors only. On one such occasion, just before sunrise, we embarked on a deep dive—a “closed mouth” dive. At 120 feet, Mike and I asked one of the instructors to take a photo using Mike’s camera. Arm in arm, we posed—and in true fashion, we removed our masks, turned them backward, and held our regulators in our hands. That photograph, enlarged, still hangs on my wall today. My brother Michael— I will forever miss you, but I will never forget you. With heartfelt love to his family, Donn, Gerri & Nicholas Hile


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